Ministrations
by Clariz
Summary: The aftermath of an unexpected turn of events forces the doctor to drastic action. COMPLETED
1. Default Chapter

_The characters, as usual, belong to Thomas Harris._

 Ministrations  

Still covered with blood, Dr. Lecter picked the lite body with infinite care and made his way to the tub. 

The day's events were finally catching up with him, and the physical, as well as emotional wear and tear was taking its toll.

He remembered how well things had been going from the beginning. There had been no indication whatsoever of what was to come. He was aware of the possible complications but there had been no signs, no warning whatsoever that Clarice was suddenly going to turn the way she did, and when trouble started, it was so sudden and overwhelming that it reminded him of an avalanche.

He had found himself putting his feelings aside and taking radical action before everything was lost.

To cut her, in the manner he did, at the time he did, was a fast, calculated decision into which his personal feelings had no part whatsoever.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carefully he tested the temperature of the running water, until it was to his satisfaction.

Then, very carefully, started to wash the blood off her. 

First he run his hand thru her back, the skin so unbelievable soft that he shook his head in wonderment

He was careful to keep a firm but gentle grip as he ran water over  her legs, and splattered  it between the toes,  tiny and delicate, and heard himself long ago, commenting "you have very shapely feet!."

"Clarice's feet…" he reminded himself.

He ran his hand over her head, making sure to rinse the blood from the fine hair. 

He was afraid to lose grip, she was slippery and seemed to fight his ministrations, which didn't surprise him.

He turned her then and gently, cleaned the blood off her face;  working fast  because he was afraid to lose his grip.

Once all the blood was rinsed off, he gently carried her to the  table and laying her on her back, dried her carefully and began to dress her up.

He was almost finished, trying to get a thin arm thru the sleeve of the chemise, when the minute six fingered hand wrapped itself around one of his fingers.

Hannibal Lecter gasped as his chest swelled with an unfamiliar, overwhelming emotion which he could barely identify as a mixture of love and awe.

He looked at the little hand around his finger, a miniature replica of his old left hand, and his red eyes met  brand  new red ones and held there.

And thus, Hannibal Lecter, intelligent beyond measure, labeled "monster" by his peers and murder of many,  faced fatherhood at age sixty four, with eyes full of tears and a swollen heart. 

He, then,  picked up his tiny daughter and held her against his chest as he spoke to her for the first time, "lets go meet your momma now; pretty girl",  he cooed as tears permitted.


	2. Ministrations II The Whole Story

This is just a little story; the title just about describes it all. I added a part II [somewhat against my best judgment] because a few folks wanted to know what happened to Clarice. Like I said, is just a little story. 

_The characters all belong to T. Harris, I don't own anything._

**_Ministrations II _**

**_The Whole Story_**

In anticipation for the birth of their child, Dr. Lecter had the room adjacent to his study, converted into a fully equipped examination and delivery room. 

"You are over doing it," Clarice teased. "Women have been giving birth since the world began, in corn fields and riversides. With minimal prenatal care and often no care whatsoever."

"Right," the Dr. responded with a neutral voice, "do you suggest that we go out and look for  suitable site to set up a tepee; should we look for a cornfield or a riverside?" he chuckled. "The riverside sounds charming, and practical for diaper washing, do you think?"

Three and a half month before the due date, Dr. Lecter rented a blood storage unit and strongly suggested they build a supply of Clarice's own blood  by having her contribute a pint of her own blood a week. 

She balked  a bit, claimed that he had reached and ecstasy of over protectiveness  and accused him of trying to turn her arms into pincushions, but he insisted and she gave in.

"If there was one person in this world that you'd rather engage to take care of our baby, Clarice, who would that be?" Hannibal asked one day, out of the blue

They looked at each other smiling and simultaneously said "Barney!"

Arrangements were made for Barney to arrive about ten days before the birth. 

When he rented a neonatal radiant warmer Clarice though his level of over protection had reached an all time peak, but  privately she  was pleased; which, didn't stop her from teasing him.

"After all this over preparing, will you feel foolish if the baby slips right out, after and hour or so of labor, I'm a very healthy woman, you know?"

"Oh yes, a healthy woman with healthy appetites," he teased back, then added "better safe than sorry…"

He was pleased to see her sense of humor remained intact in spite of the hormonal changes, and suffered her constant teasing with amusement.

By the eight month , he believed he was fully prepared to warrant Clarice's safe delivery as well as the care of their newborn.

Three weeks before she was due, Clarice woke up in the middle of the night experiencing sharp pains; she immediately woke Hannibal, who insisted to examine her at once. By the time she managed to get on the examination table, she was already hemorrhaging alarmingly.

As it became clear that further wait might result in the loss of both mother and child, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, promptly put Clarice under and performed and emergency caesarean section.

From the onset, the Dr. had no doubt that if he had to choose to save only _one life_,  he would save Clarice. That was the last personal though he allowed himself before proceeding, then, pushed his feelings aside, and went ahead with efficient, detached professionalism. 

One hundred per cent the brilliant  physician, he managed it all like a _one man operating team_, the surgery, the monitoring of her vital signs, the blood transfusions, the delivery of the baby , cutting the umbilical cord and  suctioning the infant.

The baby bawled briefly when she took her first breath and then she was pleasantly quiet. He wiped some blood from her face and carefully placed her in the warmer and went back to Clarice.

The rest of the procedure was smooth. He spent extra time suturing the layers with infinite care, hoping that in time, the scar will be almost invisible . 

After he finished the surgery. Dr. Lecter sponge cleaned his patient  and transferred her to their own bed. He was confident she was out of danger.

Once he was sure that Clarice was stable, he went to his daughter.

With infinite care, he picked her up and  brought her to the tub . She had to be cleaned.

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Once the baby was clean, appropriately dressed and wrapped in a light blanket, he picked hr up and made his way to Clarice's bedside.

She was still under and breathing peacefully, a nice healthy coloring back on her cheeks. 

He placed the infant in the cradle while he  washed the blood off his upper arms,  removed his blood stained scrubs, and slipped into clean ones.

"This is your mother," he whispered to the baby, "she is very tired now,  so we are going to sit beside her while I feed you, and then we'll see"

The infant was making small sucking movements with her tiny lip, but was otherwise calm and serene.

While he fed her, Dr. Lecter looked  lovingly at his daughters face. Aside from the color of her eyes and hair, her little face rather resembled Clarice's, but displayed such intricate mixture of both their features, that it was difficult to tell where the semblance of one ended and the other began.

 Without noticing, he started to hum a lullaby.

Clarice woke to what she thought was the sound  Hannibal Lecter's softly  singing in his native language. She had never heard him sing before and just laid there listening, her eyes still closed, wondering if she was dreaming, or maybe dead. 

Sensing that she was coming to, Hannibal swiftly went to her and held her hand. 

"Welcome back, Clarice, " he tried to sound light but didn't quite make it, so he switched to his professional voice "don't move too much, you have plenty of morphine in you, but there still might be some discomfort. I had to perform a C section, Clarice, you lost too much blood." He paused, then,  added grimly "in fact, the transfusions depleted  our entire blood reserve."

He smiled, but she wasn't fooled. 

"You look awful, Hannibal. Am I dying or something?" even speaking caused her pain.

"No!" he answered, emphatically,  "but you came much too close." He paused and  shook his head slowly. " Much too close," he repeated. The thought seemed to disturb him deeply.

She took pity for him, this "monster" of hers, trapped at times in his own sense of omnipotence, so unaccustomed was he to deal with the possibility of his  failure.

 "From now on," Clarice dictated, "no dying will be permitted in this family," she paused and , to further alleviate his distress, added lightly, "We are no longer allowed to die, you and I, Hannibal, we are parents now."

Her whole body hurt and she wanted to get back to sleep soon.

 "May I see the baby now, Dr. Dad?" 

He presented the little bundle, with what she thought was endearing pride, "she is beautiful, Clarice." The way he said it left not doubt in her mind, that he would be the one most changed by parenthood. And it pleased her.

"Sure," she teased, "she looks just like me," 

He smiled.

She took in the wide open maroon eyes, the lovely, yet undefined tiny features,  and the six fingered hand.  

"She has _your hand_…!" Clarice  whispered in awe,

He nodded quietly. Then, gently placed the baby cradle, and came back to her side

 "Hold me back to sleep, please." Clarice asked

He did, laying down beside her. 

Feeling her alive and mending, laying securely in his arms, Hannibal Lecter fully regained his inner calm. 

After a while, with a groggy voice, she mumbled  "…three of us now"…"I love you too…so that you know… I love you more than…" she was asleep, a slight smile on her face. 

In the private world they had created, there was no room left for _the lambs_.

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End file.
